The American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland and the Maryland State Conference of the NAACP have contended the Maryland State Police must turn over the record. Police have argued the documents are personnel records that are exempt from disclosure under Maryland's public information law.

Gerald Stansbury, president of the Maryland State Conference of NAACP Branches, said in a statement that the court's decision sets a strong precedent. He says it gives the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People the ability to determine if and when reports and complaints are thoroughly investigated.